New Village Community Project with UST

Group photo with Prof Chuah (back row 6th from right) and UST students (in grey t-shirts)

UTAR Department of Soft Skills Competency (Sungai Long) welcomed Prof Lo Lieh-Shih and students from University System of Taiwan (UST) at the opening ceremony of the UTAR New Village Community (NVC) Project held on 11 August at UTAR Sungai Long Campus.

Under this New Village Community Project, from 11 August to 19 August 2015, both UTAR and UST students will visit and study new villages in Temerloh, Mentakab and an aboriginal village in Lanchang. These visits will give students an opportunity to meet the various communities in the villages and see how they live together as well as learn about the village infrastructures and socio-economic issues. It will also provide students a glimpse of the new village community lifestyles in comparison to their own.

Present at the opening ceremony were UTAR President Ir Prof Academician Dato' Dr Chuah Hean Teik, Associate Professor of National Chiao Tung University (NCTU) Professor Lo Lieh-Shih, Vice President of Student Development and Alumni Relations Dr Teh Chee Seng, Dean of Institute of Chinese Studies Dr Chong Siou Wei, Director of Division of Community and International Networking Dr Tan Sin Leng, Head of UTAR Department of Soft Skills Competency Fook Oi Yee, UTAR staff and students, and UST students.

Prof Chuah in his speech said that the community project was a good opportunity for students to learn social and communication skills and build friendships. He added that, “It is very important to do human networking and learn how to interact with people and that is also a key component of a tertiary education.”

According to Prof Lo, “There is no such kind of new villages in Taiwan compared to the ones in Malaysia. In 1949, about 2 million soldiers and their families from mainland China moved temporarily to Taiwan and new villages were built for them. Now, many of these villages have since been rebuilt and modernised. Some have been preserved as historical buildings.” He added that he is intrigued by such villages and has come to Malaysia several times to learn more about the village communities.

Pai Chen-Chun, an NCTU Electronic Engineering graduate, has not been to Malaysia before and said that, “I am curious about Malaysia and how the people here live compared to us in Taiwan. People here are very friendly and open. The food here is more spicy and rich in sauces. I am still seeing and learning new experiences.”

Wang Hsuan-Wen, an NCTU 2nd year Master of Service Science student, looks forward to the New Village visits to learn more about the people and culture there. She said, “Nowadays, there are more open discussions and collaborations with the industry and the community as the way forward to learning in the university. The experience gained from site visits such as this one is more meaningful than just reading books.”

Dr Teh stated that this New Village Community Project with UST brings students and the community together to discover, document and keep alive years of heritage that formed a part of the national history.

At the end of the project, the students will present their findings in a closing ceremony to be held at UTAR Sungai Long Campus together with UST academics and UTAR students.

Prof Lo (seated 2nd from right) with Hsuan-Wen (seated 3rd from right) and Chen-Chun (standing 1st from right). Dr Teh is seated 5th from right while Fook is standing 2nd from right